FOLLOW CAPITEC EMPLOYEE, MARK FAIRBANKS ON HIS JOURNEY TO THE CYCLE TOUR
Dedicated cyclist and Capitec employee, Mark Fairbanks, says goal-setting and perseverance is key to success.
Capitec is driven by a strong family culture that believes in celebrating and helping each employee achieve their goals, be it professional or personal. Like Mark Fairbanks, the product owner for payment cards at Capitec, who’s an avid cyclist preparing to tackle his fifth Cape Town Cycle Tour.
Mark has been with the company for six years and is very happy with their holistic approach to work and life.
“Capitec is a great company to work for. It’s very different from the traditional banks in that it’s quite innovative in its approach to work, and encourages work-life balance,” comments the cyclist.
“I’ve been cycling for six or seven years now. It’s my break away from reality, an opportunity to de-stress, get fit and stay active, and mingle amongst like-minded people,” explains Mark.
Wife Natalie Fairbanks lightheartedly adds, “His bikes are affectionately known as his girlfriends to friends and family.”
“I know he’s a much happier lad when he’s been on a cycle and it’s nice because it gets the family out and about. I get to have a coffee in the most beautiful places and the kids go cycling with him as well – be it on the road or down the mountain,” continues Natalie.
We accompanied Mark on a fun ride ahead of the race and naturally stopped off for a cup of Java at one of his favourite spots. Something he does easily without risking the loss of his wallet or bank card – or worrying where to keep it for that matter.
“The great thing about using Capitec scan to pay, especially for people that are on the move, is the fact that you don’t need to pull out your card or carry it with you. You also don’t have the risk of carrying cash. You just need your phone, which you’ll generally have with you anyway. It’s a quick, easy, secure transaction,” shares Mark.
For a beverage or breakfast on the trail, the Capitec banking app is like a wallet on your phone. To make digital QR payments through Zapper, Snapscan and Masterpass, simply scan to pay and be on your way – which Mark was, as he set out to join the first Cape Town cycle tour in 3 years.
We wanted to catch him in action on the big day so met up with him at the race.
“Today, I’m looking forward to obviously having a good ride, having a bit of fun out there, enjoying the camaraderie of fellow cyclists, the beautiful scenery and the support of the people along the route,” says Mark before explaining that setting goals and preparation is what helped get him race ready, and persevere.
His preparation, in this instance, ranged from targeted training to preparing the body and mind, as well as choosing and preparing the correct equipment for the day. And the time invested ahead of the Cycle Tour certainly paid off!
“I feel absolutely great! Conditions out there were perfect, even though there were less crowds out there than usual, there was still a lot of gees. There were a couple of accidents along the way, but I managed to stay out of all of them, and I managed to find some good groups and completed with a really good time. I’m very happy!” he exclaims.
Mark’s advice for those wanting to attempt the race or any great challenge in the future is to set a goal.
“I think it’s about setting a goal and trying to push yourself, trying to dig a little bit deeper each time to see if you can improve. When you come up against hardships, difficulties, or conditions that are outside of your control, keeping that goal in mind is what keeps you motivated, what keeps you pushing forward,” shares Mark.
If you could do with a little support to help persevere in what you set your mind to, simply enter our competition to stand the chance of winning a R1000.00 cash prize, courtesy of Capitec. All you need to do is visit our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram profile and reply to the competition post by Sunday, 24 October 2021.
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